Sam Smith was the toast of the 57th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (08Feb15), walking away with four of the six honors he was nominated for, including the coveted Record of the Year.
The British soul sensation kicked off his celebrations early after claiming the very first award of the televised show for Best New Artist. He soon followed it up with the Best Pop Vocal Album for In The Lonely Hour, and was back onstage towards the end of the Los Angeles ceremony to wrap up his big night with wins for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for Stay With Me.
Taking to the stage for the fourth time, Smith poked fun at the ex-boyfriend who inspired the album, saying, "This is the best night of my life. I wanna thank the man who this record is about... Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you got me four Grammys!"
Fellow six-time nominees Beyonce and Pharrell Williams each went home as triple winners, while Beck landed Best Rock Album and Album of the Year for Morning Phase - and almost had Kanye West repeat his infamous stage invasion at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, when he interrupted Taylor Swift to defend his pal Beyonce's honor. This time, the rapper approached Beck as he collected the Album of the Year accolade, which Beyonce was also nominated for, and pretended to head towards the mic, before laughing and returning to his seat in the front row - much to everyone's amusement.
AC/DC got the Grammy Awards off to a rocking start with a hits medley, while Madonna dazzled the Staples Center audience in a red and black matador costume to sing her new release Living For Love, and Rihanna, Kanye West and Sir Paul McCartney staged the first ever performance of their new collaboration, FourFiveSeconds.
Other performance highlights at the event, hosted by LL Cool J, came from Ed Sheeran and Electric Light Orchestra frontman Jeff Lynne; Katy Perry, who honored victims of domestic violence with a powerful rendition of By The Grace of God; Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige's soulful collaboration on Stay With Me, and Pharrell Williams, who gave his Happy tune a gospel makeover, complete with Hans Zimmer on guitar and Lang Lang on piano.
The full list of winners at the 2015 Grammy Awards is:
Record Of The Year - Stay With Me (Darkchild Version) by Sam Smith
Album Of The Year - Morning Phase by Beck
Song Of The Year - Stay With Me (Darkchild Version) by Sam Smith
Best New Artist - Sam Smith
Best Pop Solo Performance - Happy by Pharrell Williams
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance - Say Something by A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album - Cheek To Cheek by Tony Bennett &amp; Lady Gaga
Best Pop Vocal Album - In The Lonely Hour by Sam Smith
Best Dance Recording - Rather Be by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
Best Dance/Electronic Album - Syro by Aphex Twin
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album - Bass &amp; Mandolin by Chris Thile &amp; Edgar Meyer
Best Rock Performance - Lazaretto by Jack White
Best Metal Performance - The Last In Line by Tenacious D
Best Rock Song - Ain't It Fun by Paramore
Best Rock Album - Morning Phase by Beck
Best Alternative Music Album - St. Vincent by St. Vincent
Best R&amp;B Performance - Drunk In Love by Beyonce featuring Jay Z
Best Traditional R&amp;B Performance - Jesus Children by Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Lalah Hathaway &amp; Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Best R&amp;B Song - Drunk In Love by Beyonce featuring Jay Z
Best Urban Contemporary Album - Girl by Pharrell Williams
Best R&amp;B Album - Love, Marriage &amp; Divorce by Toni Braxton &amp; Babyface
Best Rap Performance - I by Kendrick Lamar
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration - The Monster by Eminem featuring Rihanna
Best Rap Song - I by Kendrick Lamar
Best Rap Album - The Marshall Mathers LP2 by Eminem
Best Country Solo Performance - Something In The Water by Carrie Underwood
Best Country Duo/Group Performance - Gentle On My Mind by The Band Perry
Best Country Song - I'm Not Gonna Miss You by Glen Campbell
Best Country Album - Platinum by Miranda Lambert
Best New Age Album - Winds Of Samsara by Ricky Kej &amp; Wouter Kellerman
Best Improvised Jazz Solo - Fingerprints by Chick Corea
Best Jazz Vocal Album - Beautiful Life by Dianne Reeves
Best Jazz Instrumental Album - Trilogy by Chick Corea Trio
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album - Life In The Bubble by Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
Best Latin Jazz Album - The Offense Of The Drum by Arturo O'Farrill &amp; The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Best Gospel Performance/Song - No Greater Love by Smokie Norful
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song - Messengers by Lecrae featuring For King &amp; Country
Best Gospel Album - Help by Erica Campbell
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album - Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. by For King &amp; Country
Best Roots Gospel Album - Shine For All The People by Mike Farris
Best Latin Pop Album - Tangos by Rubén Blades
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album - Multiviral by Calle 13
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) - Mano A Mano - Tangos A La Manera De Vicente Fernandez by Vicente Fernandez
Best Tropical Latin Album - Mas + Corazon Profundo by Carlos Vives
Best American Roots Performance - A Feather's Not A Bird by Rosanne Cash
Best American Roots Song - A Feather's Not A Bird by Rosanne Cash
Best Americana Album - The River &amp; The Thread by Rosanne Cash
Best Bluegrass Album - The Earls Of Leicester by The Earls Of Leicester
Best Blues Album - Step Back by Johnny Winter
Best Folk Album - Remedy by Old Crow Medicine Show
Best Regional Roots Music Album - The Legacy by Jo-El Sonnier
Best Reggae Album - Fly Rasta by Ziggy Marley
Best World Music Album - Eve by Angelique Kidjo
Best Children's Album - I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education And Changed The World (Malala Yousafzai) by Neela Vaswani
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books &amp; Storytelling) - Diary Of A Mad Diva by Joan Rivers
Best Comedy Album - Mandatory Fun by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Best Musical Theater Album - Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Jessie Mueller, principal soloist; Jason Howland, Steve Sidwell &amp; Billy Jay Stein, producers; Carole King, composer &amp; lyricist; Original Broadway Cast)
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media - Frozen (Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Tom MacDougall &amp; Chris Montan, compilation producers)
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media - The Grand Budapest Hotel by Alexandre Desplat
Best Song Written For Visual Media - Let It Go by Kristen Anderson-Lopez &amp; Robert Lopez Best Instrumental Composition - The Book Thief by John Williams
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella - Daft Punk (Ben Bram, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Avi Kaplan, Kirstin Maldonado &amp; Kevin Olusola, arrangers; Pentatonix)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals - New York Tendaberry by Billy Childs, arranger (Billy Childs Featuring Renée Fleming &amp; Yo-Yo Ma)
Best Recording Package - Lightning Bolt by Pearl Jam Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package - The Rise &amp; Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27) by Susan Archie, Dean Blackwood &amp; Jack White, art directors (Various Artists)
Best Album Notes - Offering: Live At Temple University by Ashley Kahn, (John Coltrane)
Best Historical Album - The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 by Hank Williams
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical - Morning Phase by Beck Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical - Max Martin
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical - All Of Me (Tiesto's Birthday Treatment Remix) (Tijs Michiel Verwest, remixer (John Legend)
Best Surround Sound Album - Beyoncé (Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Beyoncé Knowles, surround producer (Beyoncé)
Best Engineered Album, Classical - Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem; Symphony No. 4; The Lark Ascending (Michael Bishop, engineer; Michael Bishop, mastering engineer (Robert Spano, Norman Mackenzie, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra &amp; Chorus)
Producer Of The Year, Classical - Judith Sherman
Best Orchestral Performance - Adams, John: City Noir by David Robertson, conductor (St. Louis Symphony)
Best Opera Recording - Charpentier: La Descente D'Orphee Aux Enfers by Paul O'Dette &amp; Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Aaron Sheehan; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble; Boston Early Music Festival Vocal Ensemble)
Best Choral Performance - The Sacred Spirit Of Russia by Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Conspirare)
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance - In 27 Pieces - The Hilary Hahn Encores by Hilary Hahn &amp; Cory Smythe
Best Classical Instrumental Solo - Play by Jason Vieaux Best Classical Solo Vocal Album - Douce France by Anne Sofie Von Otter; Bengt Forsberg, accompanist (Carl Bagge, Margareta Bengston, Mats Bergström, Per Ekdahl, Bengan Janson, Olle Linder &amp; Antoine Tamestit)
Best Classical Compendium - Partch: Plectra &amp; Percussion Dances by Partch; John Schneider, producer
Best Contemporary Classical Composition - Adams, John Luther: Become Ocean by John Luther Adams, composer (Ludovic Morlot &amp; Seattle Symphony)
Best Music Video - Happy by Pharrell Williams
Best Music Film - 20 Feet From Stardom by Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer &amp; Judith Hill
Grammy Trustees Award - Richard Perry, George Wein, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil President's Merit Award - Martin Bandier
Lifetime Achievement Award - George Harrison, Bee Gees, Buddy Guy, Louvin Brothers, Wayne Shorter, Pierre Boulez and Flaco Jimenez.

NBC Universal Media
Television upfronts are upon us. Even though the fall TV season has just barely come to a close, with many shows not returning next year (poor Community), the networks have a new crop of shows ready to premiere later this year. NBC has recently announced its fall lineup, including an interesting mix of comedies and dramas. Here's a preview of NBC's upcoming primetime lineup
A to ZWhat It Is: Single-camera sitcom.What It's About: Andrew (Ben Feldman), a romantic at heart, tries to win the girl of his dreams, Zoey (Cristin Milioti).Who's in It: Ben Feldman, Cristin Milioti. What It Sounds Like: Exactly like How I Met Your Mother. It's so similar it's almost a little shameless. Check this: The male lead is a doe-eyed romantic; the female lead wants nothing to do with relationships; an unseen narrator who is also voiced by an actor best known from a '90s sitcom (Katey Sagal), is recounting the whole story; incredible romantic coincidences aplenty involving particularly colored items. It's madness. But at least they don't share a cast member... oh, wait...How Good It Will Be: It honestly looks like a tepid version of the CBS series, but without any of that show’s subversive charm or quirks.How Long It Will Last: It looks pleasant enough to last through the season, but who wants to watch another eight years of Ted and Robin doing will-they-won’t they.Premiere: Thursdays at 9:30 this fall.
Bad JudgeWhat It Is: Single-camera sitcom.What It's About: Rebecca Wright (Kate Walsh) is a wild party girl who also happens to be L.A.'s toughest criminal judge.Who's In It: Kate Walsh, John Ducey, Tone Bell, Theodore Barnes.What's It Sound Like: A reality show titled Judge Judy: Off the Bench.How Good It Will Be: Judging by the trailer, it seems like the main character’s antics will grow stale after a while. “She’s a high ranking official, yet she’s wildly inappropriate” can only be barely amusing for so long.How Long It Will Last: This looks dead on arrival.Premiere: Thurdays at 9:00 this fall.
The Mysteries of LauraWhat It Is: Cop dramedy. What It's About: Laura Diamond (Debra Messing) is a gifted detective who must balance the excitement of police work with managing her twin boys and a flippant ex-husband.Who's In It: Debra Messing, Josh Lucas.What's It Sound Like: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but with more family drama.How Good Will It Be: It’s hard to tell. The trailer is charming enough and is actually littered with a couple chuckles. How Long Will It Last: We can see this one going the distance.Premiere: Wednesdays at 8:00 this fall.
ConstantineWhat It Is: Supernatural drama.What It's About: Based on DC Comics’ classic series Hellblazer, demon hunter John Constantine travels the country to fight off the forces of hell while looking cool in a trench coat. Who's In It: Matt Ryan, Lucy Griffiths, Harrold Perrineau. What's It Sounds Like: Like Supernatural, with more Brits. How Good Will It Be: The trailer has some genuine creepy moments and looks like a far cry from the Keanu Reeves-centered, sun-drenched L.A. interperatation of the character from 2005’s Constantine. Matt Ryan is a dead ringer for the comic book version, down to the blond hair and british-accented quips. How Long Will It Last: This one has good chances. Even though it’s scheduled for Friday nights, which is usually the death nell for television, NBC’s other supernatural action series, Grimm has improbably managed to survive on the same night. Also, It’s connection to comics will certainly bring in viewers.Premiere: Fridays at 10:00 this fall.
State of AffairsWhat It Is: Drama. What It's About: CIA analyst Charleston Tucker (Katherine Heigl) must decide which international crises need to be brought to the attention of the president. She’s also on a mission to find the people responsible for the murder of her fiancé, who was the president’s son.Who's In It: Katherine Heigl, Alfre Woodard, Adam Kaufman. What's It Sound Like: Like Scandal meets Homeland. How Good It Will Be: It looks like a soapy, glossy network version of Homeland, which could be fun, but could also be terrible. How Long It Will Last: NBC found a surprise hit with The Blacklist, and this show looks pretty similar in story. If it can pick up on that show’s audience it will definitely make it through the season.Premiere: November 17 at 10:00.
Marry MeWhat Is It: Single-camera sitcom. What It's About: After six perfect years together, Annie and Jake are ready to get married, but the universe seems to have other plans for them. Who's In It: Ken Marino, Casey Wilson, Sarah Wright, John Gemberling. What's It Sound Like: It’s basically looks like Happy Endings, which makes sense since it’s also from that show’s creator, David Caspe. How Good Will It Be: The cast has some great comedy chops, and the trailer has some goofy laughs here and there. If this show is even half as good as Happy Endings in it’s prime, we’ll be satisfied.How Long Will It Last: NBC is in dire need of some new comedies so we’re betting this one sticks around for a while. Premiere: Tuesday at 9:00 this fall.
AllegianceWhat It Is: Spy drama. What It's About: Alex O’Connor is a young idealistic CIA analyst, but his life comes crashing down when he learns that his parents are deactivated KGB agents who have just been re-enlisted by the Kremlin to commit a terrorist attack against the U.S. Who's In It: Gavin Stenhouse, Scott Cohen, Hope Davis.What's It Sound Like: The Americans, but with fewer wigs and less '80s music. How Good It Will Be: It’ll be hard for this show to compete quality-wise with The Americans, which is probably the most underrated drama on television, since it is mining such similar territory. How Long It Will Last: You only have to look as far as NBC’s Hostages to see that dramas like this don’t tend to do well on the network. If the show is a critical success it good skate on its prestige like Hannibal, but we don’t see this as being terribly successful.Premiere: N/A
AquariusWhat It Is: Period police drama.What It's About: In 1967, L.A. police sergeant Sam Hodiak investigates a cult leader luring young women to his cause. Little does he know that that the guy he’s hunting turns out to be Charles Manson.Who's In It: David Duchovny. What's It Sound Like: Bates Motel, but replace Norman Bates with Charles Manson. How Good Will It Be: It looks like NBC is trying to mine the success (critical success at least) of Hannibal. If this show is even a tenth as good as that, it will be a home run.How Long Will It Last?: Knowing NBC and it’s audience, If this show does make it to the end of the season, it will be one of those shows that’s permanently on the bubble come renewal time.Premiere: N/A
Emerald CityWhat It Is: Fantasy drama.What It's About: A woman investigating the identity of her biological mother gets swept up into a tornado and transported to a twisted vision of magical world of Oz Who's In It: N/A What's It Sound Like: A dark and gritty version of The Wizard of Oz. How Good Will It Be: Judging from recent “Dark” versions of fairy tales (Hanzel and Gretal: Witch Hunters, Snow White and the Huntsman), we don’t have high hopes. How Long Will It Last: NBC’s recet genre offerings haven’t fared to well, but ABC’s Once Upon a Time shows that there’s certainly an audience for fantasy on network TV.Premiere: N/A
Mission ControlWhat Is It: Single-camera sitcom.What's It About: Dr. Mary Kendricks is a brilliant Aerospace engineer that must survive the boys club of Astronauts in the 1960s. Who's In It: Krysten Ritter, Tommy Dewey, Malcolm Barrett, Johnathan Slavin, Julie Meyer.What's It Sound Like: Mad Men meets Anchorman with some Better Off Ted sprinkled in. How Good Will It Be: Mad Men has found a great amount of drama exploring the old-timey misogyny of the 1960s. A series that can explore the same themes from a comedic lens could be really great.How Long Will It Last: It’s hard to tell. This sounds pretty ambitious from NBC. It doesn’t seem like the sort of thing that people will immediately click with, so Mission Control might not last.Premiere: N/A
Mr. RobinsonWhat It Is: Single-camera sitcom.What's It About: Down on his luck musician Craig Robinson (Craig Robinson... hey, wait a minute...) teaches music to pay the bills, but works harder to inspire his students once he finds out that they’re only taking his class for the easy A.Who's In It: Craig Robinson, Jean Smart.What's It Sound Like: An updated version of Welcome Back Kotter.How Good Will It Be: Craig Robinson is a huge talent, and we’ve been waiting for him to get the chance to carry his own show. Fingers crossed, everybody. How Long Will It Last: Hopefully, old fans of The Office can rally behind this show and help it secure at least a couple of seasons.Premiere: N/A
OdysseyWhat It Is: Multi-camera sitcom. What It's About: A soldier, a corporate lawyer, and a political activist uncover a military-industrial conspiracy involving al Qaeda, the U.S. military, and a U.S. corporation funding the terrorist cell.Who's In It: Anna Friel, Peter Facinelli, Jake Robinson, Jim True-Frost. What's It Sound Like: Traffic with a heaping teaspoon of Homeland.How Good Will It Be: It sounds like an ambitious, international undertaking from NBC. It sounds good, but then again it’s from a director of Grey’s Anatomy. We guess we’ll have to see.How Long Will It Last: Not too long. This doesn’t look like NBC’s usual offerings so it’s hard to think it will last.Premiere: N/A
One Big Happy What Is It: Single-camera sitcom.What's It About: Best friends, Lizzy and Luke decide to start an unorthodox family, but things get crowded when Luke meets and marries the woman of his dreams, Prudence, a british expat scheduled to leave the country. Who's In It: Nick Zano, Elisha Cuthbert, Kelly Brook.What's It Sound Like: A zanier version of Modern Family. How Good Will It Be: It sounds like fun, and Elisha Cuthbert was fantastic in Happy Endings.Premiere: N/A
Unbreakable Kimmy SchmidtWhat Is It: Single camera sitcom What’s It About: After 15 years of living in a cult, a woman decides to reinvent her life by moving to New York and taking on the city that never sleeps.Who's In It: Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess.What’s It Sound Like: Ugly Betty meets The Office.How Good Will It Be: Ellie Kemper is perpetually delightful, and the idea of a woman readjusting to modern life after living in a cult could lead to some absurd situations. How Long Will It Last: Like Mr. Robinson, fans of the office might give this show a boost at least initially. Were thinking this one will at least finish out it’s season.Premiere: N/A
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WENN/Marvel
The cast of Edgar Wright's superhero adventure, Ant-Man is growing at an exponential rate, and after the recent additions of Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, and Michael Pena to the cast, Evangeline Lilly is now being considered to play the female lead.
Lilly is no stranger to genre film, after spending six years battling smoke monsters on Lost, and appearing in Peter Jackson latest The Hobbit movie. While the jury is still out on who the actress will play in the upcoming film, the scuttlebutt over at Variety is hinting that she might be cast as the daughter of Hank Pym (Douglas), and a love interest to Scott Lang (Rudd, Ant-Man himself). Since Lily is taking her first step into comic book filmmaking, we wondered what roles the rest of her Lost castmates could play. We've already heard rumors of Josh Halloway being considered to play Aquaman, or some other DC fixture, in the bizarrely cast Batman vs. Superman. We think his casting as Aquaman could work, given he plays the hook-handed and more roguish version of the character, and not the vintage boy scout of the sea of yesteryear that probably cries a lot after watching Finding Nemo. So now that we're in Lost mode, which superheroes can we match up with the other islanders?
Matthew Fox (Jack)What Character?: The Red HoodWhy: The Red Hood is a former incarnation of Robin who gets blown up by the Joker and feels betrayed that Batman never killed the dastardly clown in retaliation. Those are some Jack-level daddy issues. We've already seen Fox play maniacal in Tyler Perry Presents: Alex Cross, so maybe he could pull it off in a future Batman movie.
Terry O'Quinn (Locke)What Character?: Lex LuthorWhy: Terry O'Quinn is already bald so that's already a mark in his favor, but his period as "Evil Locke" showed that the actor exuded the right mix intelligence, charisma, megalomania to be Superman's greatest foe.
Naveen Andrews (Sayid)What Character?: ArchangelWhy: Archangel or Warren Kenneth Worthington III was a young rich playboy whose mutant powers manifested into a pair of giant wings that allowed him to fly. Several very comic book-like plot developments turned him into a dark and misunderstood anti-hero. Sayid had a similar slide into darkness during Lost and, Naveen Andrews is well-equipped to play a similar character.
Emilie de Ravin (Claire)What Character?: JubileeWhy: Jubilee is a young and feisty member of the X-Men. Actress Emile De Ravin has a lot of the same exuberance and sweetness that has made the character such a popular addition to the X-Men mythos over the years.
Dominic Monaghan (Charlie)What Character?: SpeedyWhy: Green Arrow's troubled sidekick grappled with a crippling drug addiction, and is generally underappreciated in the comics world for being the sidekick of a character whose only ability is to shoot arrows pretty well. Who is better to play Speedy than Dominic Monaghan, who plays a wounded drug addict extremely well in Lost.
Jorge Garcia (Hurley)What Character?: The KingpinWhy: Jorge Garcia has always played the nice guy, but maybe it's time for some career diversity. We want to see the actor take on a role that's really a 180 from anything that he's done before.
Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim (Jin and Sun)What Character?: The Wonder TwinsWhy: One of Lost's most crushing moments was the demise of Jin and Sun. In fact, we still wonder why Jin didn't leave Sun behind, no matter how painful it would have been, to raise their baby, but that's an Internet rant for another day. Bringing the actors back in roles where they would hardly ever be separated from each other is the only remedy for our post-Lost blues.
Harold Perrineau (Michael)What Character?: The PunisherWhy: Michael lost his only son on the island, and has done some unsavory things in order to find him. Loss has driven him to do some terrible things, but deep down he's still a good guy, just a bit misguided with the methods he uses.
Malcolm David Kelley (Waaaaaaaaaalt)What Character?: Franklin RichardsWhy: Walt seemed like a normal kid in Lost's first season. That is until he started using creepy backwards speak and was revealed to have some sort of mystical connection with the island that had viewers going "What the f**k is up with that kid". He could definitely play Franklin Richards who also seemed normal, before becoming a reality-warping mutant.
Michael Emerson (Ben Linus)What Character?: Doctor OctopusWhy: Michael Emerson played the manipulative and intelligent Ben Linus in Lost, and he'd be perfect to play Dr. Otto Octavius in the new Spider-Man series.
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Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE SEASON FINALE OF ARROW
With the city crumbling and going down in flames, the most moral character dying a hero’s death, and Oliver failing in the most important mission of his life, the first season of Arrow ended with a bang… and a heartbreaking whimper.
That’s right, while everyone and their mother had a theory on who the big death on the Arrow finale was going to be – from Thea, to Det. Lance, to Laurel, to Moira, to Malcolm – no one predicted that the pure-hearted, noble, all-around good guy Tommy Merlyn would be the one to die in "Sacrifice." And the last line spoken of the season foreshadows a very dark Season 2 ahead: as Oliver watched Tommy take his last breath, he pleaded, with tears streaming down his face, "Open your eyes, Tommy… open your eyes."
Alas, Tommy's eye's won't open ever again on Arrow, and we all must come to terms with the fact that Colin Donnell will not be gracing our TV screens each week anymore. Excuse me, I think I have something in my eye... Nope, just tears. Lots and lots of tears.
Tommy’s death, the destruction of The Glades, and so many other major events occurred that made the finale feel more like a cinematic full-length feature film instead of just a single episode of television. The epic tone and dark endings for all characters call for a different kind of recap. So instead of my usual Arrow recap, I will focus on what each of the characters sacrificed… because as the name of the finale suggests, everyone made a sacrifice in one way or another. Some even had deadly consequences.
TommyTommy made the ultimate sacrifice: his life. He knew that Laurel would not have left CNRI even after being warned about the upcoming earthquake, so he rushed into the crumbling building to free her from the rubble, while confessing his love for her despite the fact that she was back together with Oliver. She made it safely out, but Tommy got caught as the building collapsed. Oliver made it in time to have one final conversation with him before he bled out thanks to the giant piece of metal sticking through his chest.
Det. LanceDet. Lance sacrificed his job to alert the police about The Undertaking, revealing that he has been in contact with the vigilante for months. He even told his boss that he helped/was helped by the vigilante in numerous cases, accidentally revealing he hasn’t been working as hard as he could to bring the vigilante in. He knows it’s worth it to reveal all this to his colleagues if it means saving all the people in The Glades. But all he got was a suspension from his job.
Lance also sacrificed his own personal safety – and his personal feelings and opinions by working with Felicity and the vigilante – by venturing down into the subway tracks to dismantle the Markov device. If only Malcolm hadn’t been so devious as to have a second device programmed too, then Det. Lance would have successfully saved Starling City.
MoiraMoira sacrificed her freedom and her children’s respect by holding a press conference to reveal to all of Starling City what Malcolm was planning and that she was complicit in The Undertaking to save her family. Thea couldn’t even look at her after her confession, since her mother just admitted to attempting to kill her boyfriend who lives in The Glades.
OliverOliver sacrificed his mother’s ignorant bliss by revealing to her that Robert actually survived the Queen’s Gambit shipwreck, only to take his own life via bullet to the head days later in the life raft so Oliver would have enough food to survive, make it home, and right all his wrongs. It was this confession that propelled Moira to realize that she couldn’t let Robert’s death be in vain, so she held the press conference to try and give everyone in The Glades advance warning to evacuate.
Oliver also sacrificed his friendship with Tommy to tell him the horrible truth about Malcolm’s plans, in order to open his eyes and try to get him back on the good side. When Tommy was dying, though, Oliver spared him the truth that he killed Malcolm so he could die a little happier.
Oliver also maybe, probably sacrificed his relationship with Laurel, since he warned her about staying out of The Glades before Moira held her press conference. She’s going to wonder how he knew something was going down in the first place, and something tells me he won’t want to let her in on the Arrow secret. That means more lies, and not a happy ending for Laurel/Oliver. Also, he sacrificed his own health and well being by stabbing Malcolm through his own chest with an arrow! Talk about an archer shish kabob!
MalcolmMalcolm sacrificed his son’s innocence by playing Tommy the voicemail his mother left as she was dying. While Malcolm hoped that would convince Tommy that The Undertaking was the right thing to do, it backfired and Tommy ended up pulling a gun on Malcolm. Malcolm just knocked Tommy out, but he lost his son’s respect.
RoyRoy sacrificed his own safety to help those who needed it in The Glades. Taking out muggers, saving people trapped in a bus… turns out, he didn’t need to meet the vigilante face to face in order to become a better person. He had it in him all along!
TheaThea sacrificed her own safety to find Roy and make sure he was safe during The Undertaking. She even took out his would-be shooter with a broken bottle over the head! Go Speedy!
The best quotes from "Sacrifice":
Diggle: I take back every joke I made about you sticking a tracking device in your boot.
Det. Lance: Please, take a seat.Felicity: You know, I think I’ll stand… [Lance slams the door, Felicity promptly sits]Det. Lance: You’re not exactly a hardened criminal, are you?Felicity: No, I’m not any kind of criminal.Det. Lance: Well, then what do you call computer hacking?Felicity: A hobby? That I do not engage in.
Tommy, to Oliver: I wish you would have died on that island.
Tommy, to Malcolm: He said you wanted to nuke The Glades or something. It’s funny, scotch doesn’t make it sound any more believable. Maybe after your jihad we could grab some steaks!
Oliver: I’m out of bows.Diggle: I’ve got my gun.
Slade: I should have figured you couldn’t save the day without making a mess.
Thea: I went to your house!Roy: Yeah, I figured I would run for my life along with everyone else.
Malcolm: If I learned anything as a successful businessman, it’s redundancy.
Oliver: It should have been me! Open your eyes, Tommy. Open your eyes.
And there you have it, folks! Season 1 of Arrow is officially done. See you in the fall!
Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum
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While last week’s Arrow could have worked as an incredible season finale, it was actually just the incredible penultimate episode. But don't worry, because Wednesday’s epic Season 1 finale, titled "Sacrifice," ups the ante and executive producer Marc Guggenheim warns fans that no one is safe.
Now that Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) has the Markov device – and killed anyone who could possibly blow the whistle on his plans to level The Glades and blame it on an earthquake – will he succeed in beginning The Undertaking?
"Malcolm has everything he needs now. He definitely is ready to start The Undertaking," Guggenheim tells Hollywood.com. "He may not have all the people that he wants on his side, but he has all the resources that he needs. And the people on his side… well, that math will certainly change by the end of the finale." Does that mean his son Tommy (Colin Donnell) will finally and officially join the dark side? It would certainly not be that far-fetched, after he just watched his ex-best friend Oliver (Stephen Amell) getting hot and heavy with his ex-girlfriend Laurel (Katie Cassidy) through the window of her apartment.
One character we’re extremely worried for is everyone’s favorite IT girl, Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards). At the end of last week’s episode, "Darkness on the Edge of Town," Det. Lance (Paul Blackthorne) zeroed in on her in his investigation of the Dark Archer and the vigilante. "We will totally understand because of the events in Episode 22 why Lance is investing in Felicity in 23. The repercussions are pretty huge," Guggenheim reveals. "The theme of the finale is sacrifice, and the Felicity/Lance interaction leads Lance to make a rather large sacrifice."
It sounds like we should be less worried for Felicity and more worried for Det. Lance! But he isn’t the only one making a sacrifice in the finale. "All the characters in the episode each either give up something or are forced to confront giving up something," Guggenheim teases. "I think that’s true for just about every character in the show. But the one that Lance makes is pretty significant." Could Lance be the big death we’ve been warned about? We’ll have to wait until the final minutes of the finale to be sure.
One story line that won’t be revisited in "Sacrifice," however, is Diggle’s (David Ramsey) hunt for Floyd Lawtin, better known as Deadshot. "Unfortunately, that got put on the back burner. It was something we talked about resolving in the end of the season and the truth is we just had so much other story to tell," Guggenheim explains. "We decided that rather than try and burn through it and short change it, we put it on the back burner and we’re bringing it back in Season 2. We actually have a really cool storyline involving Dig and Deadshot which offers a lot of twists and turns, and it will actually fit in better with the themes that we’re playing with in Season 2 than it would have if we had tried to wedge it in to Season 1." As if we didn’t have enough to look forward to in Arrow Season 2 already!
The Arrow Season 1 finale airs Wednesday at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW.
Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum
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Holy. Crap. The penultimate episode of Arrow Season 1 had so many OMG moments and shocking reveals that I’m pretty sure that this could have functioned as a season finale for any other series. But since this is Arrow, this was just a normal, action-packed episode. Let’s get right to it, shall we?
The first scene of "Darkness On the Edge of Town" is the one we released early, where Malcolm decides to "pay" seismologist Dr. Brion Markov for his services… only, not with money, but with an arrow to the chest. The Dark Archer killed all the Unidac employees, destroyed the lab and all their notes, covering up his tracks. When he does use the Markov device, there will be nothing to tie Malcolm to the “natural” earthquake that destroyed The Glades. Basically, the lesson here is never do a favor for Malcolm.
Back at the Arrow lair, Diggle and Felicity update Oliver on their tracking of Moira now that they know she is in league with Malcolm for The Undertaking, but so far she hasn’t done anything out of the ordinary. Oliver, however, doesn’t know how to process the fact that his family and oldest friends (the Merlyns) are behind all the evil he’s been fighting ever since he returned from the island. He decides it’s time to ask Moira, face to face, as her son, for the truth.
Before he can leave Verdant, he’s ambushed by Laurel who wants to discuss that little matter of Oliver confessing that he still loves her. She realized that she was ready to admit that she has feelings for Oliver, too. She caught Oliver when he was embroiled in an Arrow mission that only reiterated his belief that he can’t be with anyone thanks to his life. So, he lied and said he hasn’t changed, leaving Laurel confused and heartbroken.
Back at the Queen’s mansion, Walter finally came home! It’s hugs all around and a delicious brunch to welcome him home, but he isn’t exactly in the brunch mood. Something tells me he isn’t going to want to dive back into to the family life with Moira after his 6-month captivity, as evidenced by the kiss brush-off he gave her.
Thea and Roy are getting their Veronica Mars on, with a bit more of a criminal side. They’re still hot in their pursuit of the vigilante, but they haven’t found any real clues to lead them to the Hood. They did find out via eavesdropping at the police department that the copycat archer is connected to Merlyn Global.
When Oliver confronted Moira about Walter’s kidnapping, he started to drop his façade, and you could tell that Moira saw something different in her son that shocked her. But before he could get any real answers, they were both knocked out by tranquilizer darts. I bet the hooded assailant is Diggle in Arrow’s hood!
And look at that, I was right! It’s Diggle in the Arrow suit, just absolutely going to town on beating up Oliver in order to scare the truth out of Moira. As much as Diggle and Oliver made up last week, you can tell he’s enjoying beating up Oliver just a little bit after their fight over Floyd Lawton. Just don’t hurt Ollie’s face too much!
Their plan worked: Moira spilled the truth on everything. Unidac Industries. The Markov device. Malcolm’s plans to level The Glades. Robert Queen’s involvement with the plans before he died. Once they were sure she told them all she knew, Diggle cut Moira and Oliver loose, and left. Oliver couldn’t even look Moira in the eyes knowing what she had done!
Now that Team Arrow has new information, it’s back to the Arrow lair! Felicity looks up Unidac Industries – noting that Queen Consolidated acquired them seven months ago, the same time Felicity and Oliver met! Anniversary! – and figure out that Malcolm plans to level The Glades with a device that creates man-made earthquakes. They also figure out that since the other archer was the one responsible for what the media is calling the Unidac Massacre, that means the other archer works for Malcolm. Little do they know it’s actually Malcolm, but that will come later.
Since Det. Lance found a connection between the copycat archer and Merlyn Global, he asked to speak with someone at the company… and of course they sent Tommy. That’s just adding so many levels of awkward to the conversation, especially when Laurel walks in on their meeting. After Tommy leaves, Lance puts a tech guy on the job of snooping around their network… hey, isn’t that exactly what Felicity is trying to do? Lance and Laurel also got in some father/daughter bonding when she told him the reason she and Tommy broke up was because of Oliver. Lance’s two least favorite guys in all of Starling City, and his daughter has to date both of them. Poor guy. Silver lining? Lance has noticed the difference in post-island Oliver and gave his kind-of approval to Laurel. That’s a huge win, and also made Laurel realize that Oliver lied earlier about not being any different now.
Felicity wasn’t getting anywhere hacking into the Merlyn Global network, so Oliver figures out a way to get her inside the actual building to download the files they need to find the Markov device. Shenanigans ensue when some random paper pusher guy tried to get on the same elevator as Felicity and Oliver, and even tried flirting with her! But Ollie shut that down and knocked him right out of the elevator car. Was that a hint of jealousy from Ollie? #Olicity shippers, discuss!
While Felicity works her tech magic, Oliver uses his time to confront Tommy about Laurel. While Tommy came off as misogynistic, referring to Laurel as a consolation prize, Oliver put him in his place. He reminded Tommy that Laurel isn’t property, and makes her own decisions. She chose Tommy, and that should be all that matters. Oliver isn’t to blame for their break-up.
On his way out, Oliver ran into his sister, and finally got the chance to meet Roy. That handshake is going down as one of the scariest encounters ever. Oliver warned Roy and Thea away from pursuing the vigilante since everyone who gets close to the vigilante ends up dead. Oliver plays the disapproving older brother part well! Too bad it didn’t work on Roy: he’s still set on finding the hood, so he can teach Roy to be like him. Apparently, Roy lost someone a while ago and doesn’t want it to ever happen again. Thea made him choose, though, the vigilante or her, and Roy chose the vigilante.
Walter’s chilly demeanor when he first got home is finally explained: he knows that Moira had something to do with his abduction, and served her with divorce papers.
Det. Lance’s tech guy struck out trying to hack into Merlyn Global – duh – but he did notice Felicity Smoak had tried to do the same thing. Looks like part of Team Arrow is being brought in for questioning... again!
Back in the Arrow lair, Oliver had an epiphany: his father’s mission to clean up the city meant to stop The Undertaking. Once he did that, he’ll have cured the disease, and his work will be done. He could be done with being the vigilante, live a normal life, and could actually have a life with Laurel. Is there truly a light at the end of the tunnel? Oliver seems more hopeful than we’ve seen him all season!
It truly does look like Oliver thinks there’s hope for him and Laurel, since he went straight to her place. With a real smile on his face, he told her he’s ready to admit she’s the one who means the most to him, and cue the passionate sexytime! Too bad Laurel didn’t shut the drapes first: Tommy got quite the eyeful. This is officially the beginning of Tommy going dark.
Oliver went to confront Malcolm as the Hood, because the Markov device wasn’t where they thought it would be. When Malcolm refused to give it up, Oliver shot an arrow, meant to kill him… but Malcolm CAUGHT IT WITH HIS BARE HAND. Ollie’s wide-eyed surprise meant he understood now that Malcolm was the Dark Archer. Cue one of the greatest fight scenes Arrow has yet to show. In the ensuing chaos, Malcolm broke Oliver’s bow, and knocked him out to dehood him. When he realized the vigilante was Oliver, he let out a horrifed, “Oh no…”
In this week’s island flashbacks, we finally learn the entirety of Fyers’ plans: he’s following orders to shoot down any incoming and outgoing aircrafts near China, thus grounding all air travel in and out of China indefinitely. That would cripple China’s economy, especially once Yao Fei, a rogue element from China’s own military, took the fall – which he will, since Fyers shot both Slade and Shado. He does manage to slip Oliver a knife before donning his old uniform and recording a video taking responsibility for the destruction of all the aircrafts. We also got the glimpse of the high heeled feet of Fyers’ boss… who could she be? And after Yao Fei finished his video, Fyers SHOT HIM IN THE HEAD.
Once again, I say: whoa. While this could certainly have been a season finale, we still have one more hour left to go of Season 1. I could try to predict what’s coming, but honestly, all bets are off at this point. Who will survive The Undertaking? Will The Undertaking happen? Will Tommy go dark? Will anyone else find out Oliver’s identity? What will Malcolm do with Oliver? We’ll find out next week in the season finale of Arrow, “Sacrifice.”
The best quotes from “Darkness On the Edge of Town:”
Felicity: Are you okay?Oliver: My mom and my best friend’s dad are involved in a conspiracy that may have dire consequences for the city and I’m pretty sure they murdered my father. I’m not planning on using the word okay anytime soon.
Felicity: The last time the vigilante paid your mom a visit you got shot and I got to play doctor with you. Ugh, my brain thinks of the worst way to say things.
Thea: I’m really sick of us all having to go through a lot, you know?
Det. Lance: The arrows are black, not green.Police Chief: The copycat archer again.Det. Lance: The psychopaths are color-coding themselves now. That’s helpful.
Felicity: Let me get you an icepack for… everything.
Oliver: Felicity, are you hacking into the Merlyn Global mainframe?Felicity: Hacking is such an ugly word, no… Yeah, totally hacking into the Merlyn Global mainframe!
Oliver: Anything?Felicity: Just for the record, I will pump my fists in the air and scream ‘Yes!’ if I get in.
Felicity, dressed as a Big Belly Burger delivery girl: I have a super deluxe big belly buster for a Mr. Andrews. I think he’s in security. He a good tipper?
Oliver: Don’t look down.Felicity: Too late! I should mention that I’m afraid of heights… which I just learned right now!Oliver: Hold on to me tight.Felicity: You know I imagined you saying that to me under different circumstances. Very platonic circumstances.
Felicity: This is my hack face. I always look like this when I’m about to hack.
Tommy: Why so serious?
Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum
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All the pieces are in place for an explosive final two episodes of Arrow. Oliver (Stephen Amell) knows his mother Moira (Susanna Thompson) is up to something nefarious with Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), Laurel (Katie Cassidy) knows that Oliver still loves her after Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) dumped her and told her the truth, and Thea (Willa Holland) agreed to help Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) find the vigilante. Plus, The Undertaking is finally upon us!
Executive producer Marc Guggenheim knows that he and the rest of the Arrow showrunners have a lot of balls up in the air when the penultimate episode, "Darkness On the Edge of Town," airs on Wednesday night, and he couldn’t be more excited for fans to watch them fall.
"It’s insane. The story line I’m most excited for fans to see play out is the resolution of the Oliver/Laurel/Tommy love triangle," Guggenheim tells Hollywood.com. "I think that’s the character story line that gets the most exciting in the final two episodes."
Now that Laurel knows that Oliver still loves her, expect the drama to heat up again between the exes. "I think that she had always thought that Oliver had moved on. That whether he loved her or not, once you sleep with someone’s sister, you’re not getting back together anytime soon or ever," Guggenheim says. "She thought, at the very least, that whether Oliver had feelings for her or not it was very much a moot point. Obviously she was shocked to discover in 21 that it is very much not a moot point. That’s the quandary she finds herself in at the top of 22."
Will Laurel choose get back together with Oliver now that she knows the truth? "Well, the world as she understood it has changed. It’s been upended," Guggenheim explains. "She never thought that Oliver would try to get back together with her or acknowledge feelings that would open that door. It’s a development that she certainly didn’t expect and thus is trying to wrap her brain around it when 22 begins."
While Laurel struggles with her romantic relationships, Oliver will have his hands full with his familial relationships… specifically, with his mother Moira. "He hasn’t even learned the complete truth about her yet. He’s learned that she’s been lying, that she’s been working with Malcolm Merlyn, but he doesn’t know that they plan to destroy the city," Guggenheim reveals. "And he doesn’t know the connection that his father had to this whole Undertaking. So there’s still a lot of bombs left to explode, and we’re actually going to blow them all up in Episode 22."
One of those bombs is the result of Thea and Roy’s search for the vigilante. "22 features the first time that Oliver and Roy meet, and it’s a fun moment," Guggenheim reveals. "It’s a big moment in the life of our series and it will have pretty big repercussions for the Roy/Thea relationship."
Another shocking, upcoming moment has already been teased thanks to some spoiler-filled finale photos The CW released. We already know Malcolm will somehow capture the vigilante, tie him up and de-hood him. But how will Oliver get into that situation? "It’s certainly a spoiler for sure. I don’t want to spoil it even further by saying how he specifically got there but there will be no doubt by the end of Episode 22 how he got there," Guggenheim teases. "There are so many spoiler-worthy moments in these last two episodes that we decided that we could afford to spin one. And even with that spoiler out there, there’s still plenty in the last two hours of the show to be shocked by."
That’s quite the understatement, and according to Guggenheim, fans of Oliver/Felicity relationship should definitely not miss Wednesday’s episode – as if any Arrow fan would ever miss an episode! "Episode 22 features a moment between the two of them where I think it will only pour gasoline on the fire because the chemistry between them is so palpable," Guggenheim reveals. "I think 22 will increase the number of people shipping Oliver and Felicity."
Guggenheim himself has been feeding the flames of "Olicity" shippers in the past month since he has been tweeting out lines of dialogue between Felicity and Oliver that could only be described as incredibly flirtatious and teasing. "I love doing it. When I did the very first one it was this lark, and then it started this mini Twitter fire storm," Guggenheim says. "What I really love, and quite frankly am appreciative of, is the fact that everyone is in on the game. They know it’s a tease, they know that we all share a love of Felicity, and I love the fact that people are shipping Oliver and Felicity and coining the term 'Olicity.' It makes me really happy."
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW.
Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum
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As we finally learned on last week's Arrow, Malcolm Merlyn's (John Barrowman) plans for The Undertaking include completely leveling all 24 square blocks of The Glades "right down to the bedrock," and blaming it on a natural disaster. He’s convinced that area of Starling City can’t be saved from the corruption and crime that took his wife away from him all those years ago. But how will he maneuver a natural disaster to fit his plans?
Thanks to Unidac Industries, a prototype that can create such a disaster is ready for use and on its way to Starling City. Malcolm announced last week that "The Markov" device passed its final beta test, and in this new clip from Wednesday's Arrow, "Darkness On the Edge of Town," it looks like Dr. Brion Markov isn't getting the payment he expected. The lesson: never do Malcolm Merlyn a favor. Ever.
Watch the full clip below:
Arrow airs on Wednesdays at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW.
Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum
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Whoa. Raise your hand if you accurately guessed that Malcolm’s Undertaking plans included completely destroying The Glades altogether? And put your hand down, you liars. Nobody could have seen that coming!
The reveal of Malcolm Merlyn’s mysterious Undertaking on Arrow was a big one, but it was hardly the only big, noteworthy twist that went down in “The Undertaking.” Let’s dive right in, shall we?
Since he hasn’t exactly been rectifying his situation with both Diggle and Tommy, Oliver instead decides to focus on The List and steals a corrupt accountant’s laptop. He wants to give money back to whom it was stolen from. It’s official: he’s a modern day Robin Hood! Shooting arrows, stealing from the rich, giving to the poor. But even though Oliver counted the mission as a win, since Diggle and Oliver still haven’t made up Felicity feels stuck in the middle of her friends. Good thing these are two, easy-going, forgiving guys, right? Oh wait, they’re the two most stubborn men in Starling City!
Back at Queen mansion, Thea decides to break the months of silence and bring up a certain missing father figure from the household. “I know we haven’t talked about Walter in a while [Side note: UH YEAH NO S**T] but I miss him too.” Thea says. It’s good to see the Queen family finally showing some stress and worry about their missing patriarchal figure. It’s only been, what, 12 episodes?
In our first flashback of the night – important to note that this week’s flashbacks are not of the island, but rather the events that led up to Oliver getting stranded on the island – we finally learn Malcolm’s plans for The Undertaking: what it is, why he wants to do it, etc. He wants to completely level The Glades “right down to the bedrock,” all 24 square blocks. He’s convinced the area can’t be saved from the corruption and crime that took his wife away from him. He’s fanatical, and while I hope the rest of the board sees how ridiculous this idea is… I know that since The Undertaking is going down in the present, I’m guessing they’ll hop on board his crazy train. Malcolm wants to frame it as a natural disaster, and Unidac Industries is five years away from a prototype that can create such a disaster. Coincidental timing? I think not.
In the first of many extremely awkward conversations of the night, Laurel confides in Oliver about Tommy breaking up with her. While that alone is enough to make anyone uncomfortable, things are made so much worse when Felicity enters the scene. That whole exchange where Laurel meets Felicity but Felicity already knows so much about Laurel was just gold. God, I want to rewind and rewatch that scene over and over.
The reason Felicity interrupted the heart to heart between Ollie and Laurel was because she found an entry in the accountant’s laptop for $2 million the day that Walter was kidnapped. If they find who the money leads to, they can find Walter! The man in question is the head of an underground casino, and since she’s the only one who could pull it off, Felicity volunteers to go undercover at the casino. She’s already grown so much as a character from when we met her at the beginning of this season, and this choice proves as much. She used to be timid and wary, and was extremely hesitant about joining Team Arrow in the first place, and now she’s convincing Oliver to let her go out in the field, volunteering for dangerous missions. They grow up so fast!
Back to the flashback, we (and Robert) learn even more tragic details of Malcolm’s wife’s death. This was a tough scene, and even though Malcolm is the big bad this season, I couldn’t help but shed a few tears for the poor guy. Apparently the night Malcolm’s wife Rebecca was shot and killed in The Glades, she had called him and he ignored her calls. She left a voicemail begging for help, calling his name, and gasping for air. He literally listened to his wife die over and over later that night via his voicemail. That is just too much. No wonder why the guy wants to destroy a whole community!
Before taking off on the mission, Felicity goes to Diggle to ask for his help and to come back to Team Arrow, but he won’t until Oliver apologizes. Something tells me he’s going to be waiting a long time for that. Don’t hold your breath, Dig! I don’t think Oliver even knows the words “I’m Sorry” even exist…
Taking Oliver’s advice, Laurel goes to talk to Tommy to get some closure or at least some honesty about why he broke up with her so suddenly, but she wasn’t prepared for the latter. Tommy drops the bomb that she belongs with Oliver, and that he’s still in love with her. Colin Donnell really sold this scene. His quiet rage and restrained hurt were so well played.
Out in the field, Felicity gets a final pep talk from Oliver where they discuss the plan one more time. Felicity is going to get caught counting cards in the casino, and so the mob boss, a.k.a. Alonso, a.k.a. their connection to Walter will bring her to his office to get a warning, and Felicity will plant a bug in his computer. I know this is supposed to be super serious, but Felicity is looking goooood in her fancy dress. Oliver, are you paying attention?
Not to be confused with the flashbacks of The Undertaking planning, in the present Malcolm announces to Moira that “The Markhoff” device passed its final beta test. You know what that means: The Undertaking is upon us! And the second awkward conversation of the night finds Malcolm claiming that he sometimes waivers in his convictions but his friendship with Moira is what propels him forward with his plans. You can sure as hell bet that Moira felt disgusted when she heard that. Moira says she wishes Robert could be celebrating with them and Malcolm flat out says, “I’m sorry I had to take him from you.” How is this conversation so civil?!? Seriously, I half expected Moira to pull out a gun and just take down this dude.
Back in the flashback, Robert confides in Moira about Malcolm’s plans to level The Glades without evacuating everyone and she seems shocked Robert would agree to it. Turns out, he’s been keeping secrets from Moira, like the time he refused to bribe a councilman from The Glades and they argued and the guy ended up dying. Robert sees the work he’s doing with Malcolm and The List as penance for the death of the councilman. And twist! Moira actually tried to convince Robert to stop The Undertaking from happening! That’s quite a different tune than what she’s singing in the present.
Felicity gets caught counting cards as planned, plants her bug, but Alonso knows she is working with a partner. Cue Oliver swaggering in all protective of Felicity, taking down the entire security team like it’s no big deal (and that shattered glass in the eyes trick? Had to hurt). But when he corners Alonso, he reveals that when he delivered Walter to whoever hired him he heard gunshots and that meant Walter was killed. I’m sorry, but I didn’t for one second believe this was true. No way Moira would have allowed that. I call shenanigans.
Back in the flashback, it turns out that Moira convinced Robert to stop Malcolm’s plans, and Robert dug some more and found out Malcolm was lying. He was actually planning The Undertaking for a long time, buying up a third of the real estate of The Glades already and only pretended like it was a recent idea. Robert and Frank Chen (RIP both of these guys) decide to conspire behind Malcolm’s back and buy the remaining two thirds quietly, and they need money from Frank’s contacts in China. Hence, why Robert was sailing that way! The pieces, you guys! They’re starting to fit together!
Also in the flashback we learn why Oliver wanted to sabotage his and Laurel’s relationship before he set sail: she was pressuring him to move in with her. That’s why he slept with Sarah!
Back in the present, Oliver overheard Malcolm and Moira discussing that Walter is still alive, and will remain in Malcolm’s custody until The Undertaking is complete. Oliver now has undeniable proof that his mother is in on the evil plans! Oliver is on a mission… and he is pissed. Time to go to Bludhaven (though no Nightwing will be in attendance unfortunately)! To prove just how angry Oliver was, he took out 20 goons singlehandedly without even breaking a sweat! And he found Walter and delivered him home, safe and sound.
Another flashback twist! It turns out that Frank Chen went behind Robert’s back and told Malcolm what he was planning, and he was the one to plant the bomb on the Queen’s Gambit! I don’t feel so bad about Moira framing him for the hit on Malcolm a few episodes back. This dude deserved what he got. Also, pre-island Oliver was such a douche. My god, poor Laurel.
Back at the hospital, the Queens were back together again, one “happy” family. But damn, the look of pure rage on Oliver’s face when Malcolm was trying to figure out if Walter knew it was him behind the kidnapping was absolutely chilling. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, post-island Oliver is an incredible actor, and Stephen Amell is an even better one, portraying so many different sides and incarnations of the same character. I mean, playing a character who is playing a character, as well as playing different versions of that same character but just in different time periods? Impressive.
Laurel also made her way over to the hospital and asks Oliver to talk to Tommy and convince him they don’t belong together. Oliver, clearly done with all the lies and drama, refuses, and drops a bomb on her: he is still in love with her. Boom!
After all the emotional trauma he endured finding out Moira was in cahoots with Malcolm, Oliver swallowed his pride and made his way over to Diggle’s apartment and apologizes to him! Whoa! He needs help figuring out a way to stop Moira and Malcolm from whatever it is they’re planning. Team Arrow is back together, y’all!
Best quotes from "The Undertaking:"
Felicity: Let me guess. Some bad guy is missing his fancy new laptop?
Laurel: This coffee is terrible, Oliver.Oliver: That’s what you get for ordering coffee in a bar.
Diggle: What do you want?Felicity: Is that any way to treat a girl that just walked up six flights of stairs?Diggle: No it’s not. Welcome!
Laurel, to Tommy: Wow. You really look like your father.
Felicity: So just to be clear, the plan is for me to get caught counting cards in an underground casino filled with hardened criminals…Oliver: So you can get a friendly warning from Alonso and plant a bug on his office computer.
Felicity: It feels really good having you inside me. [Pause] And by you I mean your voice. [Pause] And by me I mean my ear. I’m going to stop talking right now.Oliver: That would be my preference.
Alonso: I heard you never miss.Oliver, after shooting an exploding arrow into the bullseye of the dart board behind his head: I don’t. [BOOM]
Laurel: Obviously, we can’t hang out at my house…Oliver: Because your father threatened to taser me the last time I closed the door to your bedroom?
Moira: We’re together again. Everything’s going to be all right. [Cue Oliver’s look of total disgust and betrayal and misery]
Diggle: I guess you do know where I live.Oliver: I’ve always known where you live.
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